Edwin e



E. E. SLICK.

COOLING BED.

APPLICATION mm n. 1. 1915.

1 ,1 93,836. Patented Aug. 8,1916.

INVENTOR win Esau.

EDWIN E. SLICK, OF WESTMON'F BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

COOLING-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application flied February 1, 1915. Serial No. 5,599.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. suck, a. citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Westmont, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, (whose postoffice address is Johnstown, Pennsylvan1a,) have invented certain new and useful-Improvements in CoolingBeds; and I do hereby declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description 0 the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and improved constructions for transferring metal bars of various shapes step by step, which is particularly adapted to mechanically handle vhot metal bars as they are delivered from a rolling mill and transfer them both longitudinally and transversely as may be desired, and during said transfer to maintain the bars straight and allow the same to cool by the circulation of air or other cooling medium.

It is the object of my invention to provide apparatus that is efiicient in operation and of such construction as to withstand the wearing effects due to frictional contact with hot bars and the jars and shocks to which such apparatus is necessarily subjected.

My apparatus is especially adapted to receive metal bars of various shapes, such as billets, rounds, squares, flats, I-beams, channels, angles, rails, and is also applicable to any other sections and forms of material, as they are delivered thereto, and by means of the same, they may be further guided and transferred longitudinally, then moved laterally, singly or in groups, being cooled, if desired and maintained straight during transit, after which they are delivered either singly or in groups to the shears or.warehouse for storing, loaded directly into cars, or otherwise disposed of, as may be expedicut or necessary and .in order to simplify the description, I will refer to such products generally as bars.

Referring now to the accompanying sheet of drawings which form part of this specification:Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of my improved cooling-bed, with each of its ends broken away for clearness of illustration; the right-hand side being substantially complete in details while the lefthand side of this view shows a portion of my cooling-bed with its shifters, shifterarms, spacing-rods, connecting bolts and the top guard channel removedto more clearly expose the basis of the structure. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional elevation on an enlarged scale as compared with Fig. 1 of the Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

right-hand side of Fig. 1, and is taken in line II II of that figure-showing in full lines the lower position of the shifters and shifterarms and in dotted lines the upper positions of the shifter bars and the end shifter arm. The upper positions of the other shifter arms are not shown as the dotted lines thereof would obscure the drawing, but such upper positions are similar to that of the end shifter. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation taken on line IIIIII of Fig. 2, showing two sections of the cooling-bed frame-work and the mechanism for operating the shifters. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one of the shifters shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical transversesectional elevation of one side of a cooling-bed showing a modified form of shifters and shifter arms, these shifters being shorter and with their pivots and stops mounted on the shifter rod. Fig.

6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation taken on line VI,VI of Fig. 5, showing a portion of the frame-work and the mechanism for whereas the shifter of Fig. 4. has a longer lower end arranged at a lesser angle to its body.

My cooling-bed is adapted to transfer laterally in both directions from the central delivery rollers and trough, thereby more fully utilizing the delivery mechanism and space for the purposes described.

Referring now to the various characters of reference on the drawings: 1 and 2 indicate the base frames, shown in this case as metal castings; 3 and 4 are the central longitudinal sills shown as angles. The central driving sheaves are indicated at 6, these sheaves being mounted on the same shaft as the flanged receiving rollers 9 which they are adapted to drive.

7 is a cable or belt preferably of wire rope adapted to drive a plurality of sheaves 6 and thereby rotate the rollers 9 and the purpose of conveying the bars on said rollers,'the bars being guided by the flanges of the rollers and the bottom and sides of the receiving trough 10. One of the sheaves 6 is driven by any The cooling-bed frame-work is preferably formed in sections as shown, each of said sections being supported onand secured to one of the center sills 3 and the inner side sill 5 and comprises the upwardly extended ribs or plates 12, each of which is provided with a series of notches or serrations 13, alined both longitudinally and horizontally so that a bar lying in the lower apices of a series of adjoined notches will be maintained straight thereby. The portions 12 of the cooling-bed are narrow or comparatively thin laterally, but at the same time deep, thus conducmg to strength, while permitting by this construction a free circulation of air or other cooling medium.

Each section of the cooling bed rack or frame-work is preferably formed of three plates 12, connected at their ends by webs 37 and in order to maintain their shape, they may also be connected together near their intermediate portions by the ribs 38. In order to provide operating space for the shifter arms 17 and the shifter rods 15, the frame-work sections are spaced apart by means of the tubular spacing members 14 and rigidly fastened together by means of bolts 16 passing through the tubular members 14.

The shifter arms 17 are pivotedly mounted upon the bolts 16, as fulcra, with their lower ends pivoted to the shifter rods 15. Shifters or fingers 11 with lower heavy portions are pivoted to the top ends of the shifter arms 17 in such a manner that they may be revolved upon the ends of the shifter arms 17, but in order to limit this revolution and to hold the shifters in operative posi-' tion on the shifter arms 17, when the tops of the same are swung upwardly into con-- met with the metal bars 19, stops 18 are provided on the upper portions of the shifter arms 17 and these stops are adapted to engage the lower portions'of the fingers 11 as shown. lVhen the tops of the shifter arms 17 are revolved downwardly the shifter fingers 11 are adapted to automatically rotateby contact with the bar 19 to an extent suflicient to clear the'metal bar 19 which issupported within the serrations 13, after the fingers 11 pass out of contact with the bar 19 their weighted ends bring them to their operative positions as shown in Fig. 2.

Although the bars 19 to be transferred and cooled are shown in the illustration as square, they may be of any section or material.

The downwardly depending lugs or' ears 20 of the shifter rods 15 are provided with holes through which bolts or pins 21 are passed, which pivots one end of the link 22 thereto, the other end of the link being pivoted to the rocker-arm 24 by means of the pin or bolt 23. A main rock shaft 25 is mounted in suitable bearings as shown and is provided with a crank arm 26 secured thereon, to which crank-arm a pitman or connecting rod 28 is pivoted by means of pin 27. The outer end of the connecting rod or pitman 28 is connected to the crank disk 30 by means of a crank pin 29, the crank 30 being adapted to rotate regularly or intermittently, or to oscillate as may be desired, by means of any source'of power not shown.

The delivery trough is indicated as 31, which is provided at intervals with delivery conveyer rollers 32 which are driven by the bevel gears 33 which mesh with the corresponding bevel gears 34 mounted on the driving shaft 35, while 36 is a top guard or cover over the driving mechanism, shown in this case as a channel.

The shifter finger as shown in Fig. 4, has the bifurcated portions or ears thereof bent outwardly to provide proper clearance between said ears and the shifter arms 17 and the adjacent shifter arm when in lowered position. A modified form of shifter finger is shown as 39 in Fig. 7. This finger 39 is not bifurcated but is of uniform thickness throughout and is attached to only one side of the shifter arm 17, with the lower weighted end projecting at a greater angle from the body In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a modified form of shifter mechanism in which the shifter rod 40 is adapted to revolve through an are by means of links 41 which are mounted oh the bolts 16. Shifter fingers 42 are mounted upon the shifter rod 40 in a manner similar to the mounting of shifter fingers 11 onthe shifter arms as shown in Fig. 2. The shifter rod 40 is adapted to be revolved by mechanism similar to that which reciprocates the shifter rod 15 and when the rod 40 is moved outwardly it is raised by means of the links 41, to such an amount as will bring the shifter fingers in contact with the bars 19 and thereby transfer them to the next adjacent notch 13. while their pivoted and counter-weighted construction allows them to return to operative position ready to transfer the next bar.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: Assuming the position of the parts to be as indicated in Fig. 2, bars are delivered from the rolling mill in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 1, and after the last end of a bar has reached the cooling-bed,

same instant would be similar.

the crank 30 is caused to revolve, thereby rocking the shaft 25 by means of the crank arm 26 and the connections as shown, which rocking of the said shaft causes a corresponding movement of the rocker arm 24 which thus gradually moves the shifter rod 15 inwardly. The shifterarms 17 beingpivoted at their lower ends to the shifter rod 15, their lower ends move inwardly with said bar while their central portions which are pivoted to the fixed frame-work do not move laterally but are revolved about the bolts as vfulcra and thus cause the upper ends of the shifters to move upwardly and out;- wardly until the shifter fingers 11 come into contact with the bars 19. The inward movement of the rod 15 will continue and the shifter arms 17 are so curved orshaped that the movement of their upper ends and of the fingers 11 will be approximately parallel with the-outer inclined edges of the serrations 13 and will thus force the bars 19 up the said edges and outwardly until they drop into the adjacent serrations. The shifter rods 15 will, by this time, have reached their. extreme inward positions and will now be moved outwardly causing the upper ends of the shifter arms 17 and the fingers 11 to be moved inwardly. During their inward movement the rear or inner edges of fingers 11 will contact with bars 19, that have been transferred by the next inner adjacent fingers, but as the fingers are so mounted upon the shifter arms 17, as to rotate, their upper ends will rotate from left to right as viewed in Fig. 2 and Will thus pass the bars 19 and return to their original operative positions. The extreme inward position of the shifter rod 15 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and also shown in dotted lines in this same figure, is the position of the inner shifter arm 17. The position of the other shifters at this As shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 2, the inner shifter finger is adapted to transfer the bar 19 from the receiving trough 10 to the first serrations 13 and at the next outward.

movement of the corresponding shifters the same bar will be-transferred laterally into the next series of serrations and this will occur at each revolution or oscillation of the crank 30. During the transverse travel of the bars from one series of serrations to the next series, they are maintained straight by the alinement of said serrations and are gradually and properly cooled by the circulation of air or other cooling medium, which circulation is permitted by the open construction of the cooling rack or framework 12.

oted directly upon the rod 40. The rod 40 being caused to revolve through an arc, preferably by mechanism similar to that shown in Fig. 2, will move upwardly and outwardly from the position shown in Fig. 5, being mounted on the links 41, and this movement will bring the shifter fingers 42 in contact with the bars 19 and thereby transfer said bars from one series of notches to the next series. During the inward move- 'ment of the rod 40 the fingers 42 will contact with the bars 19, but as they are so pivotedon the rod 40 as to revolve when sub jected to a reverse clock-wise rotation as observed in Fig. 5, they will revolve until they pass the bars 19 and return to their original operative positions. The transfer of bars from the receiving trough 10 to the delivery trough 31 with this modified form of construction is the same as with the construction shown in Fig. 2.

From the foregoing it will be understood that my cooling-bed and apparatus is so arranged and adapted that it will take bars from rolling mills, or elsewhere, and mechanically transfer them to other positions as desired, the bars being cooled as they pass across the bed and maintained straight during this transfer.

The receiving trough ()1 my apparatus is comparatively 'narrow and provided with sides and the receiving rollers are similarly narrow and provided with flanges at the end of same, all for the purpose of maintaining the bars straight as they are de- 0 livered from the rolls, and the frictional contact of the receiving rollers 9 on the lower surfaces of the bars serves to transfer them longitudinally without buckling or kinking, as might be the case where no 5 rollersare provided. I also wish it understood that the supporting racks of my cooling-beds'may be spaced nearer together or farther apart, as may be desired or necessary to accommodate bars of different diameters, sections or temperature, and the apparatus is adapted to operate upon bars of any lengths. It should also be noted that the shifters of my apparatus are spaced close enough together so that they pick up a hot bar without buckling and they are also adapted to pick up and transfer bars from the delivery rolls to the notches of the receiving table, even though the bar should be moving, and the frictional contact of the bar with each shifter serves as a brake to stop it gradually without deformation.

. Although I have shown and described my improvements in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the exact and specific details shown and described, but may use such substitutions, modifications or equivalents thereof, as are embraced Within the scope of my invention, as pointe out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cooling-bed having a plurality of supporting plates provided with a series of alined serrations therein, a plurality of pivoted shifter arms provided with pro ecting shifters hinged thereto and adapted to be rigid therewith during their forward motion and to yield during theirbackward motion, whereby they shift the bars during their forward motion and pass below them during their backward motion.

A cooling-bedhavinga plurality of supporting plates provided with a series of alined serrations therein, a plurality of oscillatively pivoted Shifter arms provided with projecting shifters hinged thereto and adapted to be rigid therewith during their forward motion and to yield during their backward motion, whereby they shift the bars during their forward motion and pass below them during their backward motion.

A cooling-bed having a plurality of su 'iporting plates provided with a series of alined serrations therein, a plurality'of oscillatively pivoted shifter arms provided with projecting shifters hinged thereto and adapted to extend in the same direction and to be rigid therewith during their forward motion and to yield during their backward motion, whereby they shift the bars step by step across the bed during their forward motion and pass below them during their backward motion.

i. In a cooling bed a pivoted shifter arm, a shifter finger pivoted to the outer end thereof, a stop adapted to prevent the rotation of said shifter finger in one direction while permitting its partial rotation in the other direction, and means for oscillating said shifter arm about its pivot.

5. In a cooling-bed a pivoted shifter arm, a shifter finger pivoted to the outer end thereof, means adapted to prevent the rotation of said shifter finger in one direction while permitting its partial rotation in the other direction and means for oscillating said shifter arm about its pivot.

6. In a cooling-bed a plurality of stationary supports provided with a series of alined serrations in the upper surfaces thereof, a corresponding series of shifter arms pivoted at their intermediate portions, each shifter arm being provided at its upper end with a shifter finger pivoted thereto and adapted to be rigid therewith during their forward motion and to yield during their backward motion, whereby a bar is advanced step by step on and over said bed."

7. A cooling-bed, comprising a plurality of stationary supports provided with a series of alined notches in the upper surfaces thereof, a corresponding series of pivoted shifter arms each provided with a shifter finger pivoted to the outer end thereof, means adapted to prevent the rotation of the said finger in one direction, while per mitting its partial rotation in the other direction and means for oscillating said shifter arms. 8. In a coolingbed, a series of narrow stationary supports spaced apart and pro vided with alined notches in the upper edges thereof, a corresponding series of pivoted shifter arms each provided with a shifter finger pivoted to the outer end thereof, means adapted to prevent the rotation of said shifter finger in. one direction while permitting its partial rotation in the othei; direction, and means for simultaneously oscillating said shifter arms about their pivots.

9. A cooling bed, comprising a plural' of stationary supports provided with a e ries of alined notches in the upper surfaces thereof, a corresponding series of pivoted shifter arms each provided with a shifter finger pivoted to the outer end thereof, means adapted to prevent the rotation of the said finger in one direction, while permitting its partial rotation in the other direction; a shifter bar extending transversely of said bed and pivotally secured to a series of shifter arms, and means for oscillating said shifter bar.

10. A cooling-bed comprising a series of narrow stationary supports spaced apart and provided with alined serrations in the upper edges thereof, a series of shifter arms pivotally mounted in and between a pair of said supports, each shifter arm being provided with a shifter finger pivotally mounted on the outer end thereof, means adapted to prevent the rotation of said shifter fingers in one direction while ermitting their partial rotation in the ot er direction, a shifter rod pivotally mounted on a plurality of said shifter arms, and means for oscillating said shifter rod, whereby bars are advanced across said bed step by step.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

EDIVIN E. SLICK.

Witnesses ELMER SEAVEY, ROBERT A. Bnnas. 

